I am responsible for having 35 maps in the vault though... Anyway, I'm going to check the map since it looks good.
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I dont know how they code the top maps thing, so it's not my fault. I am responsible for having 35 maps in the vault though...
Anyway, I'm going to check the map since it looks good.
I am responsible for having 35 maps in the vault though... Anyway, I'm going to check the map since it looks good.
That's not my opinion. That's a fact. I'm talking about Source (game engine) not Half-life 2 (game).
My computer can run source based games with good performance but it slows down with games like FEAR. The only reason why
1)a game runs fine when you are in the middle of city 17 surrounded by buildings and people and
2) the other game is choppy when you are walking in a dark and narrow hallway with only two pipes
is that one engine is good and the other is crap. And I think there have been many more letdowns in gaming history.
Just out of curiosity, what did you all HL2 bashers expect from the game? Seriously, it amazes me how someone can be let down by the game. Did you want another Black Mesa game? Perhaps Gordon Freeman carrying Zelda's Master Sword? WTF???
My computer can run source based games with good performance but it slows down with games like FEAR. The only reason why
1)a game runs fine when you are in the middle of city 17 surrounded by buildings and people and
2) the other game is choppy when you are walking in a dark and narrow hallway with only two pipes
is that one engine is good and the other is crap. And I think there have been many more letdowns in gaming history.
Just out of curiosity, what did you all HL2 bashers expect from the game? Seriously, it amazes me how someone can be let down by the game. Did you want another Black Mesa game? Perhaps Gordon Freeman carrying Zelda's Master Sword? WTF???
What's your current system (CPU, RAM etc) ? Even three-year-old cards can cope with the source engine without problems...
Source is overrated and mostly blowsSource is one of the best game engines around. Much better than Doom's, FEAR's the old Quake III engine etc.
huge portal leafs and huge VIS compile times.
It's very similar to applying cordon bounds around the whole map and compiling.
It's very similar to applying cordon bounds around the whole map and compiling.
I think the answer to your question is in your first post:
The funny thing about some mapping problems is that we go looking for them ourselves
i have a fairly large area that will have the same style of flooringClip the area, add different flooring styles, make some parts of the floor taller, include a differently textured area in the edges of the room, etc.
The funny thing about some mapping problems is that we go looking for them ourselves
You mean skybrush instead of skybox.
I dont exactly know what you mean by saying that you can see the outer walls of Room A. That would be the logical thing, unless you are making a surreal map. I think the problem is that you are seeing the inner walls of room A. There is no fast solution to this problem. Placing skybrushes in outermost sides and corners of the map is the best strategy. The problem is that room A and room B are connected by the same VISleaf. If you manage to properly use hints, you can achieve what you want.
I dont exactly know what you mean by saying that you can see the outer walls of Room A. That would be the logical thing, unless you are making a surreal map. I think the problem is that you are seeing the inner walls of room A. There is no fast solution to this problem. Placing skybrushes in outermost sides and corners of the map is the best strategy. The problem is that room A and room B are connected by the same VISleaf. If you manage to properly use hints, you can achieve what you want.
That's an interesting point of view Elon. But when it comes to competition maps, we're not the ones who choose the theme. If I have to map something that is not my best area (like Xen or Black Mesa), I will only do it if there's a reward involved. The other thing (posting after the compo is over) is mapping for fun. And when I map for fun, I usually map whatever I choose, not something with rules and restrictions.
On the other hand, One of my maps (floatingline) actually began as a map for the Glass Competition, so I understand you.
On the other hand, One of my maps (floatingline) actually began as a map for the Glass Competition, so I understand you.
Use game_text entities like I did in my entry.
I'd personally never base a map in some custom content I'm not sure I'll be capable of making.
I'd personally never base a map in some custom content I'm not sure I'll be capable of making.
Elon: In the 3 and a half hours between your last three posts, you could have made an acceptable test chamber instead of complaining you dont have time
There is no minimum. The Osprey-Apache compo had only 2 entries. Gold and Silver. No bronze.
The last screenshot I posted is a part of Madrid, near a famous soccer stadium. But my lab is ready for your download http://twhl.co.za/mapvault_map.php?id=3492
http://twhl.co.za/mapvault_map.php?id=3492Homework is definately not an excuse for not completing a map.
I doubt many people have as much time-consuming homework as me.
http://www.geocities.com/kaspergclan/que_facil.jpg
Some of the things I have to do consist in elevating floor plans of parts of a city (in this case Madrid) and giving each building its real height over sea level.
Once the 3d model is done, we have to do all sorts of things such as rendering the area to see how buildings cast shadows on others depending on the time of the year, etc, etc etc.
I bet you can find some time to map on saturday or sunday mornings...
I doubt many people have as much time-consuming homework as me.
http://www.geocities.com/kaspergclan/que_facil.jpg
Some of the things I have to do consist in elevating floor plans of parts of a city (in this case Madrid) and giving each building its real height over sea level.
Once the 3d model is done, we have to do all sorts of things such as rendering the area to see how buildings cast shadows on others depending on the time of the year, etc, etc etc.
I bet you can find some time to map on saturday or sunday mornings...
Have you tried other sentences for Barney? That way you would know if the problem is within that sentence or within the triggering method.
I have a very busy week coming up so I had to finish it quickly. That doesnt mean its unfinished. I hope people like it, or at least find it funny. I apologize for any bugs there might be etc.
EDIT: I'm going to try to combine both maps into one so people wont have to use the console to change levels
EDIT: I'm going to try to combine both maps into one so people wont have to use the console to change levels
A repeatable structure is usually the best way to make large areas (at least in indoor parts of the map). A simple example can be this one from one of my hldm maps. (The picture I'm talking about is the one on the bottom-left)
This large are is pretty much empty, but the pillars and windows give it some life.
Yes, I checked the tutorials in this site and many others before writing my last post. But nothing worked.
Well, you'll just have to type 2 words for the levelchange. Maybe it's only a bug with my OS, but since I'm not sure I cant take that risk. I have been one of the judges in a compo before, and I know how unpleasent it is when the map doesnt work straight away...
Well, you'll just have to type 2 words for the levelchange. Maybe it's only a bug with my OS, but since I'm not sure I cant take that risk. I have been one of the judges in a compo before, and I know how unpleasent it is when the map doesnt work straight away...
I'm experiencing a huge problem while trying to do a level change in my test chamber. HL just happens to crash when I walk into the level change. The map names and landmarks are perfectly setup. I'm not getting an error message from HL, but one from Windows, the generic error thing in XP.
If I can't solve this, would it be ok to leave instructions to change the map in the form of a game_text or something? I want to submit this map and I dont want the stupid HL bugs to prevent me from doing so.
If I can't solve this, would it be ok to leave instructions to change the map in the form of a game_text or something? I want to submit this map and I dont want the stupid HL bugs to prevent me from doing so.
@Captain P: I used to have that problem, and as you said It went away with the flashlight of the light of an explosion. Reloading the level also fixes it. It used to happen but not anymore.
@Unbreakable: just clip the brushes and lighting will be more precise. The problem of the brush in your screenshot is that it is too long, and RAD doesnt know how to light it.
@Unbreakable: just clip the brushes and lighting will be more precise. The problem of the brush in your screenshot is that it is too long, and RAD doesnt know how to light it.
This map was not made only for HDR. It's something more like a lost level. A map that didnt make it into the final game, just like other things like the hydra, the ship, dried up ocean etc.
The bugs must be related to the new effects. The game didnt lock up a single time on my old PC (yes, yesterday I learned the awful truth; my computer is getting old)
I'd also like to add a comment on how this was made. I havent played it yet with the developers comments, so I dont know if they explained why only 10% of the polygons of the map when you are in the beach are real world brushes. If you look around with "mat_wireframe 1", you can see that everything around you is either made with props or displacement surfaces.
(just in case some people dont know,
red wireframe=world brush
blue wireframe=model brush
white wireframe=displacement brush)
And yes, that includes the church on top. I found this strange since there wasnt any level changes during play. Maybe what we saw was only the skybox, and the real map was still invisible?
I'd also like to add a comment on how this was made. I havent played it yet with the developers comments, so I dont know if they explained why only 10% of the polygons of the map when you are in the beach are real world brushes. If you look around with "mat_wireframe 1", you can see that everything around you is either made with props or displacement surfaces.
(just in case some people dont know,
red wireframe=world brush
blue wireframe=model brush
white wireframe=displacement brush)
And yes, that includes the church on top. I found this strange since there wasnt any level changes during play. Maybe what we saw was only the skybox, and the real map was still invisible?
I said I wouldnt post any screenshots until I was sure I'd enter the compo. Well, since I'm almost sure I'll get it done in time, here are 4 screenshots. I have applied the PhotoEditor charcoal filtering to modify the images since I dont really want to give away the real looks of the map until people can download it.
http://www.geocities.com/jm_ameyugo/lab16.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/jm_ameyugo/lab16.jpg
Would there be a problem if I introduce some comical elements in this map? I mean, the purpose of playing videogames is usually having fun... 
Looking at those screenshots, It seems some of the bugs I mentioned appear to be fixed with full settings. And the lighting is better with HDR. Not THAT much better though. I definately not going to buy a new gfx card anytime soon to play with HDR. To be honest, my PC is lasting much longer than I expected. It might be due to the fact that I dont play online anymore, and I dont need as many fps for singleplayer.
But who knows, maybe the next Unreal Engine will spawn a series of nice games that my geforce4 wont handle...
But who knows, maybe the next Unreal Engine will spawn a series of nice games that my geforce4 wont handle...
It's rather short for the MBytes that Steam had to download... Maybe textures have a lot to do with that.
I think it's an ok map. Like habboi said, there are some bugs, the most important being the problems with the sea. The playable area has green water, and the skybox sea is white-blue like the sky. There's a horrible difference and contrast once you look down at the scenery from above. They should talk with Far Cry's team to solve this blending problem. (does anyone know if this has improved in dod?)
It also amazes me why they took so long to release this, since its just like the video I downloaded long ago. I suspect that they had to do more entity work.
I think it's an ok map. Like habboi said, there are some bugs, the most important being the problems with the sea. The playable area has green water, and the skybox sea is white-blue like the sky. There's a horrible difference and contrast once you look down at the scenery from above. They should talk with Far Cry's team to solve this blending problem. (does anyone know if this has improved in dod?)
It also amazes me why they took so long to release this, since its just like the video I downloaded long ago. I suspect that they had to do more entity work.
You can ignore the required specs.
I'm running at 1999 Mhz, 512 MB of RAM and a geforce4 ti 4200. (It's the system I bought 3 years ago and there are no upgrades yet)
I'm running Lost Coast with the exact same settings as I had while playing HL2 (everthing at highest except anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering).
I suspect it will slow down when Combine troops show up, and of course I dont get to see the HDR effects, but I have no problem playing. It's still nice. So dont get discouraged by those numbers. Those are the specs to see it in its full beauty, not the specs to play it.
I'm running at 1999 Mhz, 512 MB of RAM and a geforce4 ti 4200. (It's the system I bought 3 years ago and there are no upgrades yet)
I'm running Lost Coast with the exact same settings as I had while playing HL2 (everthing at highest except anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering).
I suspect it will slow down when Combine troops show up, and of course I dont get to see the HDR effects, but I have no problem playing. It's still nice. So dont get discouraged by those numbers. Those are the specs to see it in its full beauty, not the specs to play it.
I really cant imagine doing this with vertex manipulation... thank valve for the new Hammer editor.
I know it's a cave and it should be dark, but maybe an area with much more light could be interesting.
I dont know what the floor plan looks like, but cave maps (and other maps) generally benefit from a reference area.
But maybe the idea of the map is to get lost in this caves so dont really listen to me
I know it's a cave and it should be dark, but maybe an area with much more light could be interesting.
I dont know what the floor plan looks like, but cave maps (and other maps) generally benefit from a reference area.
But maybe the idea of the map is to get lost in this caves so dont really listen to me
Interesting ideas. You should also make a cross section that goes along with that floorplan, so you can see how it works vertically with ease. Specially since it has those 2 levels. You might come up with more ideas on how to connect the upper and lower areas.
One question: are the recharger and medkit usable? It seems to me they should be a bit closer to the player, right now they look as if they were on display
One question: are the recharger and medkit usable? It seems to me they should be a bit closer to the player, right now they look as if they were on display
Would the best lag reducing technique for unseen displacement faces be to increase the texture scale to ten or something?I don't exactly know how you made those hills and rocks, but I suspect you selected the whole brush (selecting every face) and then clicked on the displacement options. I think that If you select only the visible faces of the brush (just the top ones and the ones facing the gameplay area) the rest should disappear.
I had a similar problem in my source compo map. The problem was the same. I had accidentally selected the face with the nodraw texture just before making the displacement.
But if you can't solve it, scaling it will surely improve things.
And remember that lights dont always have to be on top! Alternate them for a better effect. Since the hallway is already uncommon and tech looking, you can do a lot with it.
By the way, it reminded me of some of the halls in my star trek maps
By the way, it reminded me of some of the halls in my star trek maps
And people, please stop saying that your idea is the best, so cool or whatever but you won't have time to finish it. EVERYONE has something else to do in life other than mapping, and you're not the only one with problems.
As a matter of fact, part of being a good mapper or contestant is having the ability to find time to work on your idea, even if it seems impossible.
This isn't about "who's the super l337 mapper with the most OMG best idea!!". It's about reading the theme, thinking up a map, and getting it done.
(sorry if I sound angry, I just came home from class after 5 hours. The bad thing is that only 40 mins of those 5 hours have been class. The rest has been wasted in transportation, waiting for the teacher to arrive, etc)
As a matter of fact, part of being a good mapper or contestant is having the ability to find time to work on your idea, even if it seems impossible.
This isn't about "who's the super l337 mapper with the most OMG best idea!!". It's about reading the theme, thinking up a map, and getting it done.
(sorry if I sound angry, I just came home from class after 5 hours. The bad thing is that only 40 mins of those 5 hours have been class. The rest has been wasted in transportation, waiting for the teacher to arrive, etc)
12 days left... I think the map is going to end up being more than 1 MB, so my everlasting problem of finding a place to host the file will surface once again
Taking a look at how this year at university is going on so far, this might be my last compo entry (or any type of map) for a long while. I still need to decide the theme for the next source compo. Please use that thread for suggestions.
Taking a look at how this year at university is going on so far, this might be my last compo entry (or any type of map) for a long while. I still need to decide the theme for the next source compo. Please use that thread for suggestions.
I've had English in school since 1st grade (6 years old) but the final learning experience took place when I lived in California (1994-1996). Since I was 12, I also had to learn French at school, and the final learning experience took place while living in Paris (2000-2002).
I was also able to speak Galician which resembles Spanish as much as Portuguese. The TV channels in which I saw cartoons as a kid were actually in Galician.
And of course, I speak Spanish !!
I was also able to speak Galician which resembles Spanish as much as Portuguese. The TV channels in which I saw cartoons as a kid were actually in Galician.
And of course, I speak Spanish !!
I remember HL2 having headcrabs, spider-headcrabs, antlions, big antlions, etc. not just zombies and combine. If you want a game with lots of enemies then play Serious Sam 
Like other people have said, I consider the tunnels in Op4 (with nightvision) to be the scariest part of the HL games. I've had a couple of scares with barnacles, but once you know where they are... no surprise. But the Op4 tunnel monsters are scary no matter how many times you play the game.
Like other people have said, I consider the tunnels in Op4 (with nightvision) to be the scariest part of the HL games. I've had a couple of scares with barnacles, but once you know where they are... no surprise. But the Op4 tunnel monsters are scary no matter how many times you play the game.
Did iceworld come out near the begining of CS? I though people played cs_estate, cs_arabstreets and cs_mansion maps...
Iceworld is almost deathmatch, that's why it was a popular map.
Iceworld is almost deathmatch, that's why it was a popular map.
Each of the students in my uni gets to borrow a Centrino. We use it mainly for Internet, AutoCAD and PhotoShop, but MINE has other uses
Some sort of Google Earth?
I heard about something called "NASA Blue Marble" on TV today, must be something like that too.
I heard about something called "NASA Blue Marble" on TV today, must be something like that too.
This is a picture I took 2 years ago, but most of it remains the same
Videogames have existed for more than 40 years, and violence has existed since the dawn of humanity.
Any theories that consider games the cause of irrational behaviour are wrong. There's also some confusion regarding the nature of videogames. There are violent games out there, sure. But a lot of others are not. Just like what happens with movies, songs, comics etc.
From what I know, violent games always have some sort of +18 or M rating. If kids can buy and play those games, it's not the game company's fault.
Any theories that consider games the cause of irrational behaviour are wrong. There's also some confusion regarding the nature of videogames. There are violent games out there, sure. But a lot of others are not. Just like what happens with movies, songs, comics etc.
From what I know, violent games always have some sort of +18 or M rating. If kids can buy and play those games, it's not the game company's fault.
I also like the way gmail posts messages as a conversation, so you know what you said, what what the answer, etc.
It would be extra nice if you could link files with gmail. I think +2 gb is way too much for emails. I'd rather have that for hosting my maps, for example.
It would be extra nice if you could link files with gmail. I think +2 gb is way too much for emails. I'd rather have that for hosting my maps, for example.
Looks interesting.
I still wonder why so many mod teams make weapon models and skins before having just one or two real map screenshots...
I still wonder why so many mod teams make weapon models and skins before having just one or two real map screenshots...
There was once a project for a mod which would add more variation to the personell at Black Mesa, but like most mods, it was never finished.
The Gargantua taming research sounds like fun... Imagine using them instead of snarks
The Gargantua taming research sounds like fun... Imagine using them instead of snarks
Doesn't really add much to the thread, really(I was talking about Mercenary's now deleted post)
So it is decided that the competition will be a singleplayer one. I think we'll stick to the "map a certain theme" instead of a text, since the maps would be different but they would have the same elements.
HLsp has a lot of interesting moments, but It would be nice to make totally new ones. Since the compo wont start until "The Test Chamber" is over, there's still time to think about this.
Doesn't really add much to the thread, really 
I wouldn't like to work at Black Mesa for some reasons:
-Being in the middle of the desert.
-A huge percentage of the facility is underground. It means working with artificial light the whole day.
-Working there would involve keeping your mouth shut about almost everything, meaning you couldnt talk about your work with family etc.
-I would look just like every 1 out of 4 scientists.
etc
-Being in the middle of the desert.
-A huge percentage of the facility is underground. It means working with artificial light the whole day.
-Working there would involve keeping your mouth shut about almost everything, meaning you couldnt talk about your work with family etc.
-I would look just like every 1 out of 4 scientists.
etc
But jaardsi is right, it seems you are "selling milk before owning a cow". Unless, of course, the objective of the site is for people to work and contribute to the mod. You should still have some good media that proves you're really going to work on this mod idea.
But remember, there's always a chance that only three people actually finish their maps, and you could always get a bronze trophy, even if yours is unfinished
Yes, physics should play a big part in a source map.
What I meant by the text description, is that it would include more elements describing sound, lighting, fear... in a word, ambience. It could also lead room for personal interpretation of the text. This recent compo had an specific layout limit, and it has still spawned 6 totally different maps (counting Trapt's example map)
Would it be OK to use this thread for suggestions or should we open another one?
What I meant by the text description, is that it would include more elements describing sound, lighting, fear... in a word, ambience. It could also lead room for personal interpretation of the text. This recent compo had an specific layout limit, and it has still spawned 6 totally different maps (counting Trapt's example map)
Would it be OK to use this thread for suggestions or should we open another one?
I was thinking of making the next one singleplayer. Easier to judge and would require using other gameplay elements like NPCs, etc.
I don't really know if it's a good idea since not many people have really gotten into singleplayer hl2 mapping. Maybe this compo could be a good time to start... ?
I also thought of something when I had to propose the competition theme. We've had original maps, maps from base, real world maps... Maybe we could try to make a map based on a text description. I'm not talking about the typical compo breefing, but instead a more literary text (I would write it).
Something similar to:To the left I could hear the sound of some lurking headcrabs, invisible to me in the shadows of the rusted ventshaft...
I don't really know if it's a good idea since not many people have really gotten into singleplayer hl2 mapping. Maybe this compo could be a good time to start... ?
I also thought of something when I had to propose the competition theme. We've had original maps, maps from base, real world maps... Maybe we could try to make a map based on a text description. I'm not talking about the typical compo breefing, but instead a more literary text (I would write it).
Something similar to:To the left I could hear the sound of some lurking headcrabs, invisible to me in the shadows of the rusted ventshaft...
Yes, the map is full of 1 unit gaps everywhere, I can't help ypu with that I'm afraid
For future maps, remeber to
-Work with a big grid size at first
-COMPILE OFTEN so you can solve errors one by one.
As a mapping tip, I think you'd want to add some variation to the ceiling height. Every part of the maps is the same...
For future maps, remeber to
-Work with a big grid size at first
-COMPILE OFTEN so you can solve errors one by one.
As a mapping tip, I think you'd want to add some variation to the ceiling height. Every part of the maps is the same...
Half-life is also full of your blue lab textures. I doubt a map will be considered better if it has green or blue textures. The important thing is how you use them. And a brush should always have more or less the same X and Y values. Stretched textures look bad, most of the time.